Swatch with me: Daniel Smith Primatek Watercolors

In this video I will swatch the 36 colours from Daniel Smith Primatek and then rank them on the “best primatek colour” tier list.
I have been using exclusively primatek colours in my limited watercolour palette challenges. See how I use them in the linked videos-
Luxurious 1(mayan blue, bronzite, piemontite)
Macarons - • Late night painting | ...
Bird - • Late night painting | ...
Human portrait - • Community Art Challeng...
Luxurious 2 (sedona, sodalite, haematite violet genuine)
Napolean cake - • Late night painting | ...
Share with me in the comments section what you think about my list and what are your most and least favourite colours from the primatek colours.
You can get the mineral marvel dotcards from Jackson's art: tinyurl.com/2p...
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[@susanoflightandshadow2145]

This is the best video on the Primatek colors. I have watched it twice. Thank you!

[@eurekawanders]

Glad you liked it!

[@markdonovan1540]

Interesting to watch these swatched out. I don't see much use for most of the Primatek range, as I would prefer to mix the colours from others I already have. Mind you, I do have a couple which I like and use a lot: Green Apatite Genuine and Mayan Blue Genuine - but I usually mix them with other colours or use for adding dark value contrasts. From your swatching here, and checking on a Daniel Smith Primatek colour chart, I found the following to be worth looking into: 1. Sugilite Genuine, which could have uses for painting metallic surfaces and structures for example. 2. Piemontite Genuine, which could be used for brick walls and tiled roof tops, although I can do that with colours I already have. 3. Bloodstone Genuine, this looks like it would be great for mixing and neutralising while adding interesting granulation. 4. Tiger's Eye Genuine looks like it would work well for coastal beaches as well as some rocks and stones, especially by adding a small amount of another colour to create contrasts and textures.

[@eurekawanders]

Thank you! Very good suggestions. I have been using sugilite for roads and buildings. Really convenient.

[@elizaluizezile]

Thank you, this was really educational. I'm thinking about buying some of these, so this really helped. Thank you!

[@eurekawanders]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sunlight5296]

Very interesting to watch, especially for those, who like granulating paints :) Really enjoyed watching this video, thank you for showing all the swatches in detail! I've got Rhodonite Genuine and I find it granulating (compared to Permanent Rose and other rose/pink paints). It also has a subtle shimmer. As for Amazonite, it also granulates and even separates into 2 different hues when used with lots of water. May be, I have magic tubes ))) My absolute favourite is Mayan Blue - I just love the hue so much and its granulation too! I didn't know Sodalite reacts to drops of water in such a beautiful way, will try it tomorrow!

[@eurekawanders]

How did your trial with sodalite go? You definitely had a magical tube of rhodonite. I have a tube and it’s so subtle.

[@sunlight5296]

@@eurekawanders It went well! :) I'll try to use this technique while painting landscape. Regarding Rhodonite - I have noticed sparkles only afterwards when mixing with other colours. It is more obvious when you put it under artificial light, for example lamp in the evening. Granulation is very mild but noticeable compared to Rose Madder Lake by Sennelier or Permanent Rose by Winsor and Newton. Otherwise the difference among these three paints is hardly visible. I have also noticed that you can see granulation at its best on Daler-Rowney mixed media pad, especially when using lots of water.

[@alejandromorales9516]

I love the Hematites (particularly the Burnt Scarlet), Bloodstone, Piemontite, Purpurite, Amethyst, Serpentine and Green and Blue Apatites. I have this set of dots too and I love the swatches I got of Red Jasper and Garnet ... they're just so pricey and I have plenty of earthy reds.

[@eurekawanders]

Good choices! I agree with you about the earthy reds. There are many good ones at a lower price point which is why i place those in the primatek range at lower tier.

[@teresacassidy7482]

A trick I figured out with the dot cards especially the Minerals set is to coat the front (carefully around each dot) and back with Matt medium to seal the paper, 2 coats. The paper used for these dots has no sizing in it so the paper absorbs any wet paint left on the paper and it doesn't give it back. This way you get to use the majority of the dot as the wet paint is on a sealed surface and will lift right off when rewetted. It may sound like a bother yet I find it relaxing and my dot cards go much further.

[@eurekawanders]

Thanks for that tip! ❤️

[@ifatflower]

Thank you for this wonderful video!🙏 I really like the way you swatch the colors🎨, and your attitude towards the Daniel Smith controversy. I love the Primatek watercolors, and for me, because I have the raw rocks at home, from the beginning I didn't think that these colors contain only the grounded rocks, but I love these colors anyway.

[@eurekawanders]

You are welcome.. Despite of all these I agree these are really lovely colours to use.

[@supme7558]

I can vouch the purple i have of this is made with amethyst and sparkling with color

[@calipaintbrush]

Gosh, I love the granulation & sparkle on those. Good to know that those sample card dots are so large! Thank you for reading aloud the descriptions ~ such a good video! I have added a few to my DS wish list 🗒

[@eurekawanders]

What colours are you planning to get?

[@Stacy_SJA]

On my scale, I would definitely put amazonite gen on the top S or A tier… it’s such an amazing base for the more granulating colors like the amethyst or jade gen. I noticed it makes the granulation so much deeper 😁

[@eurekawanders]

Oh really? My swatch looks really weak. Tube form might be better

[@sup330]

What’s wrong with that paint brush

[@annaarts23]

I'm looking to add a couple more primatek colours to my collection and this video was so helpful! The best one I've found, especially for your opinion bit at the end - I like your rankings pretty well. I adore piemontite, rhodonite and serpentine. The colours I really want to try is green apetite and burnt bronzite - that shimmer is gorgeous and I'd be interested to see how it works as a fleshy tone mixer. I've actually got sodalite but haven't used it much - your bit at the end has convinced me to do some paintings to really see its power! Amethyst is gorgeous but I put my paint in pans to use and that colour in particular just does not rewet well unless I remember to soak the pan a bit before the painting and I often don't remember.

[@bristremel1554]

I really enjoyed this video. I'm only just now starting to get into Primateks. Blue Apatite Genuine was my first one and I instantly fell in love with it. Sodalite, Jadeite, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise and Kingman Green Turquoise were next. I love them all. I'm thinking of making a Primatek-, Lunar-, and EF (Environmentally Friendly)- based palette because all of these colour families do such amazing things with granulation and separation, and many of them tend to lean into my desired colour range of moody, murky, muted colours. I'm thinking of spending a while painting with these moodier colours, and enhancing them in places with my more primary-based mixing colours. I've been trying to paint with the more primary-, bright-based palette and it's just not doing anything for me. But when I watch painters paint with moody colours and still get so much variation in tone and texture, and make such beautiful paintings, it gives me hope. I love watercolour so much but I've really found it difficult to get into a routine with it and I think my approach to colour hasn't been working for me. I've been trying to buy only the more affordable colours, stick to split primary palettes, experiment with other artists' suggestions for colour wheel mixing schemes (like Dr. Oto Kano), etc, and I see the wisdom in it but It's not making me pick up my brush.

[@eurekawanders]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It is wonderful that you are exploring Primatek watercolors-Blue Apatite Genuine is such a stunning color! Your idea of creating a palette with Primateks, Lunars, and Environmentally Friendly colors sounds fantastic, especially with their amazing granulation and texture. It is completely okay if primary-based palettes do not resonate with you; those moody, murky tones can really bring out something unique in your work. Pairing them with your mixing colors sounds like a great plan.

[@supme7558]

Usa does it agian

[@keepyourshoesathedoor]

I’m trying to get Sugilite. I have Kyanite. I only like sparkly colors because I just don’t see why I need the other ones. Maybe Black tourmaline.

[@eurekawanders]

Haha yeah get the sparkly ones the others are just too ordinary.

[@evelynevelyn107]

Wow, such a great video. Thanks for making this. I don’t have DS paints as I find other great brands without the high price tag. However, based on your video, I may get one or two S categories for mixing.

[@eurekawanders]

Oopsssy my videos are bad for the wallet

[@howardblumenthal596]

I just watched your video. Very good job! One question -- at about 41:45, you begin to place circles on a chart labelled S-A-B-C-D-E-F. I do not understand what the S stands for -- clearly, you like the paints you placed in S very much. Can you explain what you're doing with S, and whether the other letters -- A, B, C, etc. -- simply mean best, next best, etc.?

[@eurekawanders]

Yes. S means special class which is better than the rest.

[@Stacy_SJA]

I LOVE how you lay out your swatches! I’m a newb, so this is very inspiring & I love the consistency of each swatch!

[@eurekawanders]

I love swatching watercolours!

[@FranOnTheEdge]

This was fascinating to watch. Do you have a video showing these paints in use in a painting - particularly taking advantage of their granulation? I'd l9ve to see a video on that.

[@eurekawanders]

I don’t have all the paints. Are there specific ones that you are looking at?

[@FranOnTheEdge]

Nope. Nothing specific.​@@eurekawanders

[@phillipstroll7385]

I love your video. Your English is very good! I do agree with your tier. When a color can be duped for half the price there is no reason to spend more. Great video!

[@eurekawanders]

Thank you!!

[@Swan-rb4yg]

Why do you keep saying my location is in Colorado usa, or my location is in Africa? I don't understand.

[@eurekawanders]

It’s “mined”. Sorry for my bad pronunciation

[@jenns_artlandia7896]

Minerals are mined stupid. 😂

[@supme7558]

20:50 this one got me hooked

[@eurekawanders]

The amethyst? The shimmerng particles are mesmerising

[@normh151]

Thanks Alice, I want to get some colors for a gift didn't know which colors would wow a water color painter, I will try to get some "S" and "A" rec ones :)

[@eurekawanders]

Hehe I am sure your friend will love them. Do check if he/she already have them already 🤭

[@normh151]

​@@eurekawanders She does not, I think it will be an awesome gift she's into crystals haha. 😜 Do you know what type of brushes would be best? She paints with Kolinsky brushes typically uses Windsor Newton proffressional or cotman watercolor paints. I'm wondering if the granulation would be wrong type of brushes. Thank you for any advice and help. P.S. I love Singapore, I have been 2x

[@eurekawanders]

@@normh151 Granulation shouldn't be influenced by the type of brush used. Papers more important!

[@normh151]

@@eurekawanders Ah thank you for sharing that :)

[@carlaeskelsen]

A wonderful, very helpful video. Thank you. In return, may I offer this help? At 15:00 , in spite of the suggestions here and the many bad videos on KZbin, Fuchsite is properly pronounced FEWK'-site, *not* FEW'-shite. (It doesn't help that DS spelled it wrong on the Red Fuchsite dot card, though they spelled it correctly in other places) If you look it up in a reliable place, and see who it was named after, it makes perfect sense. 😏 (PS - annoying unrelated fact: the same thing happens all the time with Bruschetta, which is properly pronounced Brew-SKET'-ta, because it's an Italian word, not German. 😵‍💫🤦🏼‍♀️) Thanks again for the great video, and all your time making it for us. 🙏🏻

[@eurekawanders]

Thanks for helping with my pronunciation. 😊

[@Lacroix999]

Thanks for the info! Super helpful! Can you explain what the series numbers 1-5 mean?

[@eurekawanders]

The pricing. The bigger the number the more expensive it is.

[@ericakauffman5786]

I just bought the swatch cards and did my own test. I'm looking for a few granulating colors for floral backgrounds, so they have to compliment the predominant floral color. I like three but have not purchased. I am on the fence because of price. The dot cards saved me money!

[@eurekawanders]

Ikr and there are colours that are not in the 238 colour dotcard. Why don’t all manufacturer sell dotcards?

[@katel9378]

I agree with your S row. I have all of those colors and love them. I also agree with your F row. I purchased Lapis Lazuli and was immediately disappointed. I'm going to use it for light skies. Once it's gone, I will not be replacing. I have a few of the other, but not all.

[@eurekawanders]

🙌🏻. Lapis lazuli is such a letdown. 😢

[@arlenealennox3136]

Pronounced “few-shite”-and they spelled it wrong for the Red Fuchsite on the card but got it right on the insert and on the card for the green one. I got this set of dot cards at Christmas but haven’t swatched them out yet, so I am glad to watch you do it and hear all the flowery descriptions that Daniel Smith comes up with.

[@carlaeskelsen]

They did spell Red Fuchsite wrong on the dot card, and right everywhere else, but it is properly pronounced FYOOK'-site, *not* FEW'-shite. (And not in any of the tortured, gross ways of the several pronunciation videos on KZbin. Yeesh) If you look it up in a proper place, and see who it was named after, it makes perfect sense.

[@jackieojeda6101]

That was a very refreshing video! Thank you very much 😊!

[@eurekawanders]

Glad you liked it!

[@VanmeterFL]

What an amazing video. Thank you for sharing.

[@eurekawanders]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@everartokelli]

It's fun to see all the Primateks swatched out, thanks! I have Sodalite, Serpentine and Piemontite and agree that they're all favorites and incredibly useful. I'd also put Blue Apatite ,which i use as a granulating Prussian Blue & to make warm greys with Burnt Sienna Light, and Zoisite (another great dark) up at the top. And I'd put Lapis Lazuli much higher, I use it as a blue Potter's Pink and love it for skies and it's the perfect denim color for painting crowds. Low tinting strength granulating colors are very important, at least to landscape painters, for how they mix on the page with darker, more intense colors in organic, fascinating ways.

[@eurekawanders]

Interesting point about lapis lazuli. Blue potters pink. ❤️ were you able to get a similar effect using very low concentration of ultramarine blue?

[@everartokelli]

In my experience ultramarine blue is less granulating and a stronger blue, so not the same, but a very useful color. It's been interesting to see the Schmincke super granulating colors where ultramarine blue is used with other granulating colors like potter's pink, lots of fun ideas for mixes. I usually use PP and LL and cobalt green/earth greens with non-granulating colors to create interesting separations, but I'm inspired to try new mega granulating mixes now.

[@eurekawanders]

Now that granulating colours are so popular, we can draw inspiration from those granulating mixes released by paint manufacturers.

[@ginabadeaux9319]

i really enjoyed the whole video ,you were so good at explaining every color ,i got the 6 set of primatex last week and then bought the lunar black.im new to them but got so exited to see my painting sparkle with crystal amethyst,thank you id love to know more and see you paint with them

[@eurekawanders]

I have a 5ml tube of amethyst. Unfortunately it dried up and I had to rescue it by grinding everything down with gum Arabic. Took a while but it’s worth it! Will put amethyst in the one of the upcoming challenge.

[@stevesidare2493]

I pronounce Fuschite: FYU-shite. I might be wrong.

[@eurekawanders]

thanks for that. I am really bad at pronouncing stuff. 😅

[@carlaeskelsen]

They spelled Red Fuchsite wrong on the dot card, and right everywhere else, but it is properly pronounced FYOOK'-site, *not* FEW'-shite. (And not in any of the tortured, gross ways of the several pronunciation videos on KZbin. Yeesh) If you look it up in a proper place, and see who it was named after, it makes perfect sense.

[@sandjune2753]

Frustrating to listen to this.

[@eurekawanders]

Oh no why?

[@carlaeskelsen]

Didn't matter, because it is such a good, detailed, educational swatching video. So much to be learned here. 👍🏻💯